SALEM — When Classical High School sophomore Jose Himenez first heard about the Brotherhood with a Purpose: 100 Males to College event at Salem State University, he knew he wanted a chance to attend and visit the school.
“It seemed like a great opportunity,” he said. “Salem State is also a great school that I would definitely like to attend.”
Himenez was one of dozens of Lynn high school students from Lynn English, Classical, and KIPP gathering for the Friday event, billed as a kickoff for ongoing efforts to take young men who may be at the greatest risk of never earning a degree and point them toward college.
Salem State partnered with the Lynn YMCA to invite students for a night that featured games of basketball, food, and speakers who were there to inspire and prepare the students for a bright future.
“A lot of these kids get left behind, so it’s important to have events like these where they are reminded that they can succeed,” Lynn Classical teacher and YMCA chaperone Denise Vinciarelli said.
After playing basketball at the O’Keefe Center on campus, the students gathered at Veterans Hall of the Ellison Campus Center, where they ate before listening to the speakers along with college students and supporters from invited groups.
Among some of those groups was the Fundamental Brotherhood Society of Suffolk University in Boston. One of the group’s founders is their Vice President Markendy Fils-Aime, a Classical High School graduate.
Society founders want to help young men at the college come together and achieve their goals, whether that involves helping them put together a resume or just pointing them in the direction of the right resources.
“We are all here to help young people succeed,” Fils-Aime said. “They can achieve anything, the sky’s the limit.”
Event organizer and Vice President of Inclusive Excellence at Salem State University Lisa McBride addressed the crowd about the achievement gap and lack of graduation rates of black and Latino males compared to their white peers.
“This is a national problem, it’s our problem and we are taking a responsibility towards it tonight,” she said. “We make a commitment to change the narrative.”
The night also featured keynote speaker Quentin Hart, who is the first African-American mayor of Waterloo, Iowa, who spoke to the students about the obstacles he overcame.
Authors of “Fast Forward: What is Your College Degree Worth?” Tucker Matheson and Pichon Duplan also spoke to students about how to overcome obstacles they may come across and how to enhance their personal image to get on the path of academic and professional success.
Students were all smiles as they each received a long-sleeved shirt to remember the evening and the promise it holds for their futures. Across the shirt was a phrase written in Salem State blue and orange, “Bound For Greatness.”
